J-F Lavie snapped some pictures in 2004 through the fence at a junkyard in Madrid -- he wasn't allowed inside for a better view of the VIASA Jeeps. Government regulations in Spain make it difficult to put surplus military Jeeps on the road, so many are either exported or sold for scrap. Another picture shows a variety of surplus military vehicles destined for the crusher (70K JPEG).
See more details on Military Jeeps in Spain on The CJ3B Page.
This photo from Spain was a nicer surprise. John Carroll, who grabbed the photo along the roadside in 2003, says, "I stopped because I thought it was an Avia/Viasa model but it's an Assembled in Belgium example. This was a new one on me.
"Here's the info: The chassis plate says it's a Willys-Overland CJ-3B, Chassis No. 304192, Year 1956, Assemble par SA Ateliers de la Dyle, Louvain, Belgium. It's powered by a 1800cc Perkins 4-cylinder diesel. It now belongs to Manuel Ortiz from Santiago de Cartes, Cantabria, Spain, but when it was new was owned by Electra de Viesgo SA, the company who built electricity pylons in Spain during the mid-fifties."
Didier Dochain in Belgium supplied some background regarding Ateliers de la Dyle: "Firstly this means 'Workshop on the Dyle' (Dyle being the name of a river flowing through parts of Belgium). This river crosses Louvain, a medium-sized town close to the capital Brussels.
Apparently these workshops appeared slightly before WWII and were used also by the Germans when they occupied Belgium. They assembled many types of metal parts but mainly cars, and trains. So it could be logical that some Jeeps were assembled there." Anyone have any further details?
This CJ-3B dressed in U.S. Army livery is the work of Pavel Konopasek in the Czech Republic. We're not quite sure of the origins of this Jeep, but Pavel and his friends clearly have a good time with it. He writes, "My Jeep CJ3B is my beloved family member, and your web pages my best-loved. Thank you behind your pages."
This is a "uniquely" restored 1959 CJ-3B, serial number 57348 55010, which believe it or not still has the original engine (see the Serial and Engine Number List.) Etiënne Nijenhuis who is in the Royal Dutch Air Force says, "I bought this CJ-3B from a Dutch Army Engineer. He bought it around 1999 in Indonesia. The former owner was a Doctor who still drove it everyday doing his house calls in the jungle of Lombok.
"First things that struck me, being a newby, was that no side of it resembles the pictures of an original CJ-3B. The hood is not high (I guess it's from an MB) so they somehow lengthened the fenders to make it close. It hasn't got the back hatch, and the back side hasn't got the round wheel holes but square. Somebody (the famous craftmanship of car fixers in the jungle I guess) spent a long time reshaping this car."
See also a rear view (50K JPEG.)
The CJ3B was obviously a practical and popular vehicle for doctors in Indonesia. Didit Purnomo inherited his 1956 Willys from his father who was a doctor in the Indonesian Air Force.
The big tires are Opel Blazers on CJ-7 wheels, but Didit has since switched back to 16" wheels with 750R16's due to the front tires rubbing. The reflective hood number that stands out in this nighttime photo is Didit's membership number in the local Yogyakarta American Jeep club.
A Jeep is handy not only in the jungles but in the crowded streets and alleys of Indonesia. Didit snapped this photo of his 3B beside a colorful container truck. See also a front view (50K JPEG).
There's more on this Jeep in 1955-56 CJ-3B Owners and Photos.
Thanks to all the photographers. -- Derek Redmond
See also Universal is Right! High Hoods Everywhere.
Return to the Index of Unusual Photos.
And see more international CJ-3B's in Jeeps Around the World on The CJ3B Page.
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